Couple had complete input over dream wedding plans

Lakae and Andrew: They had a say in how their wedding plans unfolded, but Andrew kept an old tradition alive by asking Lakae’s parents for permission to marry their daughter. *Photo by Alex Masters

Lakae Dill and Andrew Tavares

Wedding Date: October 22, 2011

Lakae Dill kindly agreed to take part in the Bermuda Sun’s questionnaire which aims to show the comparison between modern marriages with those from a different era.

Engagement

How long had you been together before you got married?

Three years.

How old were you when you got engaged and then married?

Twenty-six-years-old when I got engaged, and 27 when I was married.

Did you live together before getting married?

No.

How did your husband propose?

He proposed at one of my favourite restaurants. After finishing our main course the waiter brought over the dessert menus and in my menu folder was a poem.

After a few minutes of trying to figure out why there would be a poem in my menu folder, I began reading and it was a poem he had written to me.

The waiter then came over with a dessert plate and in chocolate sauce where the words ‘will you marry me’ and my ring was placed on an icing flower petal along side the dessert.

My husband got on one knee and popped the question.

Were you given an engagement ring?

Yes.

How long was your engagement?

One year.

How did you announce the engagement?

Informally, I called my closest friends and family to deliver the news.

Did your fiancé ask your father for permission to have your hand in marriage?

He asked both my mother and father.

Did you have an engagement party?

No.

Wedding

How did you select the date of your wedding?

The date was chosen at random after deciding what month we wished to be married.

Who chose whom to invite to attend the wedding?

My husband and I.

How much influence did your parents have on the list of who to invite?

Little to none.

Who chose the bridal party of groomsmen and bridesmaids?

My husband and I.

Who was in the bridal party?

Siblings, a cousin of mine, and all others were close friends.

Who paid for the wedding?

My husband and I paid for the majority but we did have some financial help from my parents.

Did you have a budget?

Yes.

What family and cultural traditions were adhered to?

None.

How much of the planning was out sourced to businesses versus being completed by the family? For example, food, invitations, making the dress and bridesmaids’ dresses, flowers, etc).

Everything was sourced out to business’s excluding the invitations and programmes. One of my close friends/bridesmaids who is a graphic artist, designed them for us.

Did you have a bachelorette party? Did your fiancé have a stag party?

Yes, and yes.

Where did you buy your wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses? Or did you wear your Mother’s dress?

I purchased my dress from RK Bridal in NYC and ordered all bridesmaids’ dresses online from a bridal store in NYC.

Did you follow the tradition of ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’? If so, what were they?

No I did not.

Who took the photos?

Photographer Alex Masters.

What was the gift expectation? Was there a registry?

I had a registry for bridal shower only. For our wedding there was no registry and we asked that if friends and family wanted to give us a gift, they could contribute to our honeymoon (monetary gifts).

Did you have pre-marriage counselling?

Yes.

Did you have a choice of location — church, beach, garden, family property, and so on?

Yes.

Did you exchange wedding rings?

Yes.

Honeymoon

Where did you go?

Las Vegas.

Was the destination a surprise?

No.

Did you plan the honeymoon together?

Yes.

Who paid?

We paid for our tickets, and the monetary gifts paid for the majority of our stay once in Vegas.